Richmond’s chance to share nearly 200 years of its story with a wider audience now rests with the public as the community has advanced to the voting stage of the Missouri Humanities Small Town Showcase.

Public voting began Oct. 7 for the Small Town Showcase, a digital storytelling initiative that highlights the heritage, culture and resilience of Missouri communities through short films and podcasts. For Richmond, advancing to the public vote puts the community one step closer to being selected as one of the communities featured through the statewide initiative.

Richmond News General Manager Sharon Donat coordinated and submitted the nomination on behalf of the newspaper, with Chamber Director Jayne Taylor participating in the initial planning. Ray County Museum Director Cathy Gottsch worked closely with Donat on the submission, helping verify historical dates and identify potential speakers who could help bring Richmond’s story to life.

Donat said seeing Richmond advance made the time sp…